This was my first Celebrity cruise since the early 1990's when I did my very first cruise ever on the Celebrity Horizon. While we enjoyed the cruise, our children, being preteens and teens, wanted a bit more 'action', so we switched over to Royal Caribbean and became very loyal with them. In November, when we decided to do a cruise in January, it was too difficult to get a oceanview balcony room on the Allure, so I decided to call Celebrity and give them a shot. Needless to say, we booked! They informed me right away that my Royal status would convert into Captain's Club and were happy to do that for me. I even received a personal phone call from a Captain's Club representative a few days after booking to see if I had any questions or needed any help with anything. Very nice touch! We had booked Concierge level guaranteed. We got confirmation of our room a few days later...last room aft on port side 11th floor. My sister and her friend also booked and they were not far from us, only on the starboard side of the ship.

Embarkation: We flew in the evening before and took a shuttle to the ship. We only had a short wait, and then we were onboard by about 1:15. We were greeted first by a squirt of hand disinfectant...and then we were offered our complimentary champagne/mimosa. Very nice touch! We could not get into the rooms yet so we headed up to the buffet, because that's where the guys wanted to eat. I am not a buffet fan...but Celebrity quickly changed my mind! Plus, since my sister and I bought the Premium Bev. card ... we ordered our first drink from the friendly bartenders in the buffet area. They were having fun singing songs with our names and certainly poured a generous drink! After eating we grabbed our carryons and walked to the Sunset Bar and had a drink or two there until we heard that rooms were ready.

Cabin: Our cabin was very nice. Our bed was closer to the balcony and I liked it as I could really hear the ocean if I left the door open at nite. Lots of space for all our belongings. Luggage fit under the bed nicely. Bathrooms were fabulous, although I frequently found our toilet difficult to flush. Even had maintenance done on it. But if you pressed long and hard enough it worked! Cabin steward was quietly attentive and visible. Sparkling wine in the room for embarkation was a nice touch! Read more